Weight loss surgery, bariatric surgery, is a viable option. Weight loss may enhance your health and quality of life while also helping you feel more confident about your looks. While there is concern that the weight may return after surgery, statistics show that the majority of bariatric surgery patients achieve long-term weight loss. Lap-band and sleeve gastrectomy are two of the most popular bariatric surgical treatments (also known as gastric sleeve surgery).
You’re not alone if you’re having trouble figuring out the distinctions between a gastric band and a gastric sleeve. Here’s a quick rundown of the differences between these two methods of weight loss:
Gastric Band Surgery
A gastric band is a soft silicon collar worn around the top of the stomach. The band, unlike the Sleeve, does not shrink your stomach; instead, it alters the way signals are delivered to your brain when you eat. Nerve endings line the inside of our stomachs, which detect when and how much we consume. These nerve endings unite to create two nerves known as the Vagus nerves, which convey this information to the Hypothalamus, which is the appetite control center in our brain. The Gastric Band appears to alter these signals, causing us to feel less hungry and content with fewer meals. Adjustments may be made to fine-tune the effect.
The gastric band, however, will not prevent you from ingesting too many calories because your stomach remains the same general size. This is especially true if the calories are soft or liquid, since they will simply flow through the band, no matter how tight it is constructed. The Band will not work properly if you continue to eat a high number of liquid calories since weight reduction occurs only when calorie intake is lowered. The Sleeve, on the other hand, will limit all sorts of calories to some extent, making it a better option if you have difficulties cutting down on soft drinks, ice cream, chocolate, or alcohol.
The Band, unlike the Sleeve, does not shrink the actual size of the stomach; instead, it alters the signals delivered to the brain, causing you to feel less hungry and satiated with smaller meals.
Who is a Good Candidate for a Gastric Band?
The gastric band is simply a gadget that helps you feel less hungry and more satiated faster. It’s still up to you to keep track of your quantities, eat healthier, and exercise consistently. It takes work and dedication to change one’s lifestyle. The Band, in our opinion, is most suited for those who can normally lose weight quickly but struggle to keep it off, and who generally make healthy food choices but struggle with being hungry all the time or needing large meals to feel satisfied.
Soft or liquid calories are not restricted by the Band. It’s just a technique for reducing hunger and the amount of solid meals required to feel full.
The Band is the safest weight-loss procedure, and while it may be removed, it is designed to be worn for a long time.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Gastric Band over Sleeve
The Band has numerous benefits over the Sleeve: it is more secure, can be modified or even entirely emptied if necessary, and it may be withdrawn. The fact that it may be taken off does not make it any less permanent than the Sleeve. It is intended to be left in place for an extended period of time.
The main disadvantages of the Gastric Bandinclude the need for frequent adjustments (every 4-8 weeks) for the first year or two (then only once a year after that), as well as the small risk of long-term device-related issues like slippage, erosion, or port/tubing issues, which can occur in up to 10% of patients.
Fortunately, these issues are typically simple to resolve, and they have decreased considerably in recent years as a result of advancements in Band design, surgical procedure, and aftercare.
Although device-related issues with the Band might arise over time, they are typically minor and have become less prevalent.
Gastric Band vs Gastric Sleeve Differences
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Unlike the Gastric Band, the Sleeve does not need the insertion of a prosthetic into the body. The Gastric Sleeve, on the other hand, is the permanent removal of a portion of the stomach organ. Although around 80% of the stomach is removed, the remaining 20% (about the size of a cup) continues to operate as it should: it’s just smaller. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, is also reduced as a result. Gastric acid and Pepsin are still generated to aid in the digestion of food, and Intrinsic Factor is still produced to aid in Vitamin B12 absorption.
The Sleeve merely lowers the stomach organ’s size. It does not prevent nutrients from being absorbed.
Who is a Good Candidate for Gastric Sleeve?
Only those who can control their meal intake or who only eat soft and liquid foods can benefit from the Sleeve. The Band is ideal for those who obtain most of their calories from solid foods. The primary drawbacks of the Sleeve include a higher chance of significant problems in the near term (approximately 1:100 vs. 1:500 for the Band), such as leak, and the likelihood that the stomach may stretch over time, leading to weight gain, especially if lifestyle changes are not addressed. In addition, heartburn, burp, or reflux may occur in a small percentage of patients following the sleeve, whereas the Band typically alleviates these issues.
The Gastric Sleeve can also limit soft and liquid calorie intake, making it more suited for emotional eaters, especially when used in conjunction with professional treatment from psychologists and dieticians to address the underlying issues.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Gastric Sleeve over Band
The gastric sleeve has an advantage over the gastric band in that it does not need to be adjusted. As a result, clinic visits following surgery can be reduced to once every three months rather than once a month. Another advantage of the Sleeve is that it has less dietary limitations; most foods may still be consumed, but in reduced amounts. Although steak and white bread might be tough for those with a Band, the overwhelming majority of meals can be eaten pleasantly if everything is chewed well and carefully.
Because the Sleeve restricts soft and liquid calories more effectively than the Band, it typically leads to a more constant reduction in overall calorie consumption. As a result, the average weight reduction following a Sleeve is generally somewhat more than after a Band.
The Sleeve’s disadvantages include a greater risk of complications, reflux, and long-term stretching uncertainty, which might lead to weight gain.
For patients with a long-term weight problem, both the Gastric Band and the Sleeveare considerably more successful than diets and workouts alone, regardless of their variations. The most significant criteria are continued involvement in multidisciplinary follow-up following surgery and a commitment to lifestyle change.
Although the sleeve requires less post-operative care, ongoing medical, nutritional, and psychological assistance are still essential.
The average patient loses somewhat more weight following a Sleeve than after a Band; but, highly determined patients can do just as well with a Band.
